


Healing Touch

by CarenRose older stuff (CarenRose)



Category: Star Trek
Genre: F/M, Gen, Medical Professionals, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Unlikely to Update, Vulcan Culture, Vulcan doctors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-21
Updated: 2012-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:00:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24263995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CarenRose/pseuds/CarenRose%20older%20stuff
Summary: About a Vulcan Healer and her daughter, teaching, the Interspecies Medical Exchange, and medical ethics.





	1. Naievete

**Author's Note:**

> Introduction and Background
> 
> I created two characters, a mother and daughter, both Vulcan, the mother an experienced healer and the daughter a young doctor fresh out of Starfleet Medical. I didn't know what to do with them, so I just started writing something interesting. I started in the daughter's early childhood, just 'cuz. I hadn't planned this at all to be a Vulcan medical drama, but I guess I've been watching too much ER, Scrubs ... Grey's Anatomy ...
> 
> In my view of things, there are two types of medical professionals on Vulcan. At one time, perhaps, there was just one, the healers.
> 
> Healers are trained in more ancient methods, as well as "modern" methods. They train for many years, primarily at the Temple of A'morak, and are without exception more powerful telepathically than the average. They can heal others with their minds (sort of), in situations where possible. A healer is responsible for their patient's physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Many, therefore, have some level of empathic ability. They treat animals as well. They are not as skilled at surgical procedures, and some healers may completely avoid surgery.
> 
> Doctors, on the other hand, are much more similar to doctors on Earth. In fact, they may have been an import to Vulcan society around the time of the founding of the Federation. Either way, they only treat sentient, humanoid beings (of course, unless they have specific training in non-humanoid species), and are pretty much surgeons.  
> You know what a doctor is, right? Why do I need to keep explaining?
> 
> I don't know for sure where this is going, I'm really just writing it.
> 
> Simple glossary/Notes on Vulcan language
> 
> Children, or those of lower "rank" such as our main character's students, refer to those above them with an honorific. This is done by prefixing an "o" before their name or title. Thus T'Ven's students refer to her as "ohakausu" and her daughter refers to her as "oko-mekh." I've tried to make the included Vulcan words as self-explanatory as possible, but included this here anyway.
> 
> As for capitalization, there really isn't such a thing as capitalization in "real" Vulcan. But this is English (Federation Standard?) and it would really make me cringe to have things capitalized any other way than what I did. So titles (Hakausu/Ohakausu) are capitalized with the honorific, because conceivably they are both valid titles; names are capitalized on the first letter of the proper name, not the honorific, because it is not really a part of their name. Also, when referring to a position "a doctor," "a healer," it is not capitalized, when it is used to address a specific person, it is capitalized. Same follows in English.
> 
> Also, I suck at this grammar thing, I can write it but I don't even know what a preposition is! Makes deciphering instructions on forming words in Vulcan a little difficult.
> 
>  _osu_ \- sir/ma'am, literally "honored person"  
>  _hakausu_ \- healer  
>  _ko-mekh_ \- mother  
>  _hassu_ \- doctor  
>  _kahs-wan_ \- that thing Vulcan kids do where they go out in the desert alone and try not to get themselves killed  
>  _nosh-satalaya_ \- diagnosis  
>  _sharushan_ \- surgery  
>  _kal-toh_ \- that Vulcan game Tuvok likes in Voyager, where you reorder a bunch of rods  
>  _t'an_ \- one of those rods  
>  _"Ni'droi'ik nar-tor"_ \- sorry
> 
> Other stuff is pretty much what I put together from dictionaries and a misunderstanding of grammar.
> 
> Characters, basic
> 
> This list is just so you can keep the names straight. Writing this, I had trouble at times.
> 
> T'Ven (the main character)  
> T'Shel (her daughter)  
> T'Ak'hel (the healer-in-training, sort of timid)  
> T'Pani (doctor from Kir'Kahr, the naive one)  
> Tonak (almost-doctor from VSA, over-eager)  
> Seket (doctor from Retakh, the quiet one)

The staff entrance to the main trauma receiving area was deceptively calm. Only a low mechanical hum broke its silence as its young students waited. 

As the door slid open, they straightened up ever so slightly. 

Healer T'Ven looked over the PADD in her hand. Her students waited, four of them, two from medical schools, one from the Science Academy, and one from the Temple of A'morak. Their files said none had experience in a real hospital, much less one of this patient volume. It would be much like the kahs-wan for them, then, for they had received many hours of teaching and training, but little had prepared them for this.

"Tonak," she addressed the first. "Graduate of the Science Academy's medical program."

"Ohakausu," he replied formally, honored Healer.

"Do you have experience treating patients?"

"I spent one month in a medical clinic in ShiKahr."

"What types of procedures did you learn?"

"I learned to use basic medical instruments, osu," he said. "Hypospray, dermal regenerator ..."

She stopped him with a short wave of her hand. "When will you receive your medical degree?"

"Within a month."

"Dr. T'Pani. From Kir’Kahr Medical School. What is your experience treating patients?"

"We spent almost a year observing in a local hospital."

"Observing? Did you perform any procedures?"

"No, osu, we did not."

"Dr. Seket. Medical Academy of Retakh. Is your experience comparable to Dr. T'Pani's?"

"Yes."

"T'Ak'hel. You have received training at the Temple of A’morak. Have you any experience in a clinical setting?"

"No, Ohakausu. This will be the first of such training."

"You look young. May I ask, how long did you spend at A'morak?"

"Eight years, osu."

"And did you treat any patients during that time, or spend any time with the 'pilgrims' there?"

"No, osu, I only trained with the adepts."

* * *

The calm of before abruptly ended as the group entered the main trauma receiving area. Doctors and healers called out orders, patients moaned, monitors beeped and alarms blared, the low hum of the turbolifts and environmental system continued on, and to their right, the shrill whine of a transporter beam.

"Keep clear of the transporter pad," Healer T'Ven said, pointing to the sign that read the same. Her students crowded together to the left.

"There's so much pain," T'Ak'hel whispered.

"Yes. This is a large trauma center. You must learn to block it from your mind." She turned to the others. "Seket and T'Pani, there is a child in examination room 12 with a hand laceration. Find the room, find a tricorder and dermal regenerator, heal the laceration, call Dr. Stesik to examine your work when you are finished."

The two doctors started off down the wrong hallway, looking for signs which would point them towards the right room.

"Tonak, T'Ak'hel, follow me."

T'Ven led them to one of the equipment storage areas. "T'Ak'hel, can you distinguish between a dermal regenerator and a thrombic modulator?"

"No, osu."

"I can show her, Ohakausu," Tonak said.

"You all must learn on your own, Tonak." She handed the young healer-in-training two instruments. "Look at these, look at the settings, and tell me which instrument is which."

As T'Ak'hel turned them over in her hands, trying to solve the simple problem, T'Ven turned back to Tonak. "Explain the difference between Improvoline and Inaprovaline."

He hesitated. "Improvoline is a stimulant, Inaprovaline is a sedative, both widely useful for humanoid physiology."

"If you gave a patient in shock Improvoline, Tonak, it could kill them. [i] _Ina[/i]_ provaline is the synaptic stimulant and cardiostimulant." She grabbed a PADD off a stack, pressed several buttons, and handed it to him. "Study this tonight, so you do not kill a patient because of faulty memory."

* * *

"Oko-mekh!"

Several head turned towards the young child in the middle of the room, calling for her mother.

T'Ak'hel set down the patient's chart she held and approached the girl. She was not one of the patients in this section, nor did she appear to be a patient at all.

"Oko-mekh?"

"Who is your mother?" she asked in reply. The girl looked no older than two years old.

"Oko-mekh!" the girl only repeated. Perhaps, illogical as it was, she only knew her mother as such, and did not yet know her proper name.

Trying again, T'Ak'hel asked, "What is her name?"

The child appeared to think about the question for a moment, then suddenly dashed off across the room.

Seconds later, T'Ven strode around the corner, the girl trying to cling to her legs.

"Ko-mekh name T'Ven!" the girl exclaimed with more than a little pride.

"Ohakausu," T'Ak'hel said by way of greeting.

"How long has my daughter been here?"

"One point four minutes."

"Why are you here, T'Shel?" she demanded of her daughter.

"See you?"

"Where is Kurik?"

"He sleep."

A flicker of concern passed over her face. "Healer," she said, addressing T'Ak'hel by the title she had earned, "I will return. Keep watch of my daughter, do not let her leave your sight."

T'Ven left at a pace nearing a run.

* * *

Less than ten minutes later, T'Ven summoned her four students - and daughter with them - to the trauma receiving area. She stood over an elderly man in a trauma bed, already joined by two other doctors. The man was unconscious, his monitors showing dangerously high intracranial pressure.

"oKurik?" T'Shel asked. "You sick?"

When the man gave no reply, big tears welled up in the child's eyes. She rushed towards the trauma bed, pushing her way through his doctors.

"T'Shel, kroykah. They must work."

"No! oKurik, wake up! No sick!"

T'Ven quickly grabbed her daughter out from amongst the doctors' legs, fingers searching out the meld points on the child's face even as she ushered her out of the room.

"Do we follow?" T'Pani asked, looking at Tonak for guidance.

From the corner, Seket, voice barely audible, said, "It is a family matter. We stay here."

"Doctors," one of the senior doctors started, addressing three of T'Ven's four students. "Healer," she added as an afterthought, addressing T'Ak'hel with a brief nod. "Our patient has a ruptured arteriovenous malformation and resulting intraparenchymal hemorrhage. Will you be joining us in surgery?"

The other senior doctor activated the wall comm unit and alerted the surgical suite of their impending arrival. The first checked the patient's position and detached the anti-grav bed from its stationary base.

T'Pani again looked at Tonak, and this time at Seket as well. Tonak spoke up. "I do not believe Healer T'Ven would have asked us to come if she had not thought we could learn from this case."

"We will join you."

As the group emerged and headed towards the turbolift access, T'Ven and her daughter approached and stopped her students.

"Diagnosis?" she asked.

"No-sataya?" the girl repeated, not understanding the word. 

"Nosh-satalaya," her mother corrected. "The identification of the nature and cause of his illness."

"oKurik sick."

"Vi'nafek-is-krus khafaya," Tonak said.

T'Shel stared up at them with wide eyes, as if she did understand.

"This is not a complete diagnosis. What is the cause?"

"A ruptured riyeht-shid'es t'khaf-mev."

"May I join them in surgery?" T'Ak'hel asked.

"There is no reason you cannot learn basic surgical procedures."

"Oko-mekh?"

"Yes, T'Shel?"

"oKurik?"

"Kurik requires surgery."

"Shushan?"

"Sharushan," her mother corrected. "It means ... they will attempt to repair the damaged blood vessels in his head."

"You go?" she asked T'Ak'hel.

"Yes, I will observe the surgery."

"Okay. You go."

"Ohakausu T'Ven," Tonak began, "It is possible as arteriovenous malformation such as this could be hereditary. Would you like to obtain genetic testing?" He looked down at the child.

A brief flash of anger flared up, then was quickly suppressed. "Kurik is not her father. Go join the surgical team before they are finished."

* * *

T'Ak'hel and Tonak found T'Ven and her daughter in an otherwise empty waiting area. A disordered kal-toh sat in front of the Healer, while T'Shel ran around the room, a t'an in each hand, poking everything in sight.

Seeing her favorite healer, besides her mother, she ran up to T'Ak'hel and poked the rods into her knees.

"T'Shel!" her mother chided.

Caught off guard by the force with which the small rods were jabbed into her knees, T'Ak'hel stepped back and didn't completely suppress a cry of pain.

"We do not poke sharp objects into people, T'Shel. Apologize."

"Ni’droi’ik nar-tor," the two-year-old mumbled.

"How is Kurik?"

"He has not yet regained consciousness, Ohakausu."

"T'Ak'hel, take my daughter and find Seket, bring him to me. T'Shel, leave the t'anlar here. I will not have you injuring my student further."

"Seket?" the girl asked, tossing the rods back onto the table.

" _Hassu_ Seket," the younger healer added. Seket had earned the title of Doctor, and it was proper for the child to refer to him as such.

"Tonak, remain," T'Ven spoke. "Sit down."

The young man sat.

"You must learn to curb your ambition. It was not proper of you to assume Kurik was my daughter's father, and was a serious breach of privacy - mine, my daughter's, and Kurik's - to approach the subject in a public hallway as you did."

"We discussed the patient's diagnosis in the same location."

"I asked you for the patient's diagnosis. I did not ask you to determine my daughter's paternity nor to question her health. If you had concerns, they were better addressed in private at another time."

"I did not mean to offend, Ohakausu."

"I was not offended, however, you must learn that greater caution is called for from a doctor."

"Yes, Ohakausu."

"Additionally, arteriovenous malformations are present before birth, even if symptoms do not appear then. Genetic testing would be superfluous in a case like this. A simple scan would suffice. Now, you are dismissed. Continue your work."

As Tonak left the room, T'Ak'hel returned, T'Shel and Seket behind.

She motioned the two adults to sit, and T'Shel grabbed her hand, intertwining their fingers together.

"As you may have surmised by now, Kurik provides supervision for my daughter while I am here at the hospital. Since you cannot yet be left without supervision of your own, I cannot take my daughter home at this time without compromising your educational opportunities. However, neither can I supervise her myself the entire time. Therefore, Seket, will you escort her to the cafeteria and replicate a nutritious meal for her?"

Seket just nodded.

"When you are done there, you may return her to myself or T'Ak'hel," she inclined her head towards the latter, "if that is acceptable with you."

"Of course, Ohakausu."

"Do not hesitate to answer her questions, she is a very curious child."

T'Shel gazed up into her mother's eyes. "It is time for you to go with Ohassu Seket."

"I go with Ohassu T'Ak'hel."

"T'Ak'hel is a hakausu, not hassu. But you will go with Seket now. You may see T'Ak'hel later."

She stared at the strange doctor a moment longer, then said, "Okay, Oko-mekh."

The two left, leaving just the two healers in the room.

"May I ask a personal question, Ohakausu?" the younger asked.

T'Ven considered for a moment, then gave an affirmative nod.

"Who is Kurik?"

"Kurik is the guardian of my child during my working hours."

"Is he ... family?"

"He is of my clan, but there is no closer relation than that."

"Forgive me, Ohakausu, if this is too personal. Are you bonded?"

"No, T'Ak'hel, I am not."

"Have you ... been?"

"If you are asking who the father of my child might be, that is too personal a question."

"Is that why you were angry ... earlier, with Tonak?"

T'Ven inhaled sharply.

"I apologize," T'Ak'hel said quickly, readying herself to stand up. "I should not have asked."

T'Ven waved her hand, inviting T'Ak'hel to relax. "You are correct in your assumption. However, I will say no more on the matter." She paused, then asked, "Do you have empathic ability?"

At this, the younger healer actually hung her head. "No, ohakausu, it was evident on your face."

T'Ven just stared at her. "I won't make excuses," she finally said. "I was angry, yes. I should not have been. I cannot blame my lack of control on anything besides my own self."

"It will not be spoken of again."

T'Ven thought for a moment. Healers tended not only to their patients' physical needs, but to mental needs as well. Is that not what her student was trying to do for her?

"He was a V'Shar agent," she began. "I did not know more than his given name, and that was likely a fabrication. Not to deceive me, no, but because of confidentiality." She stopped, visibly uncomfortable with talking about that part of her life, but continued for her student's sake. "It was not his ... 'time.' Nor was it mine. We never bonded, mentally, nothing permanent. We came together in a moment of weakness, of ... bad judgment. It is something I still ... regret."

"Regret," she repeated. "And your daughter?"

"I do not regret my daughter. Only the circumstances which led to her existence."

T'Ak'hel raised an eyebrow.

"It is time we return to work," T'Ven said. "After Seket returns, I am taking the others to the upper floor. Keep my daughter on this level, and you may work with Hassu Sorvik. I prefer she is kept away from patients with infectious diseases today."


	2. Regrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: some implied intimate activity ... nothing explicit, of course
> 
> A/N: I'm not so happy with the writing quality of this chapter. I think it feels too rushed at many points, and sometimes unclear, some jumps where things could be fleshed out some more. But it's got a lot of stuff, and I could have written three times as much, and still had ideas. I really like the dynamic in the beginning first few paragraphs, but I had to stop somewhere ...

**Two years, eight months, five days ago**

Healer T'Ven sat in an aircar, idling in the middle of the desert. Alam'ak, the white eye, 40 Eridani A, slowly drifted towards the horizon. The sun radiated heat from above, the sand from below, and the mountains from all around. It was too much heat. She had become accustomed to life in the city.

A patient had come in, three days earlier, an "outcast," vre'kasht, from this barren desert. His emotions ran deep, unchecked; his mind, unshielded. His forehead bore a small laceration that slowly dripped blood. As T'Ven touched her fingertips to the skin surrounding the cut, his thoughts flooded her mind. She stepped back, breaking contact, thinking her touch was an unwelcome forceful intrusion into his mind. Instead, he reached out towards her, left hand held up tentatively, seeking unspoken permission to initiate a meld. Against better judgment, she accepted. Overwhelming raw emotion enveloped her, and it took everything she had not to shove him away. But she stayed, and he showed her images, a valley, mountains, caves, a young girl's body wracked with violent convulsions. Then his own walk into the city through the heat and the disapproving glances. He pleaded her for help. This girl could not handle the trip into the city, and he feared she would die without medical attention.

Breaking off the intense meld, he confessed, "This cut would have healed well on its own." T'Ven staggered, not sure whether the onslaught of emotions she felt were her own or the man's. "Please, help us."

So here she was, calling on images from the meld to find the man's residence in this fiery place. She had found the place where, in his memory, he had descended from the mountainside. She let her aircar idle, sitting in the climate-controlled air until the sun sank lower in the sky. She had a medkit to carry, and did not want to expend all her energy before she even arrived at their camp. None of her colleagues were willing to join her, despite all having professed adherence to the same medical ethics as she.

Alam'ak sank below the crest of one of the mountains, casting shadows over the entire valley.

T'Ven grabbed her medkit bag and began the ascent towards the camp. From the images still in her mind, it was a large cave she headed towards. She moved quickly, aware that le-matyas lived in the area.

A voice from above shouted for her. "Hakausu! Come quickly!"

She staggered slightly, tripping on her healer's robes. Though the climb was easy, she was unaccustomed to this sort of activity. She heard footsteps above her, and suddenly, several pairs of strong hands grasped her and began pulling her up. She felt their unshielded minds, but was unsure if there were two or three men. One of them, however, was familiar.

At the top of the ledge, she saw there were three of them, the man who had been her patient, another adult and one boy, only perhaps thirteen years of age.

It was he who grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her into the cave. Instinctively, she looked back towards the valley where her aircar sat powered down, but it was out of sight. In front of her, cave tunnels lit by a combination of artificial light and flame. The boy radiated fear and urgency as he pulled her along, running deeper and deeper into the caves.

They stopped at the entrance to a large room, where several adults crouched on the ground, surrounding the convulsing frame of a small girl. They backed away as she approached.

"How long?" she asked.

"Fifteen minutes," one of the women said.

T'Ven pulled a medical tricorder out of her bag and scanned the girl, while the room's other occupants watched anxiously.

The girl's lips had taken on a purplish tint, a sign that she was not getting oxygen. Between the hypoxia and exitotoxicity, she was in trouble. T'Ven, having gotten enough preliminary information from the scan, pulled a pre-loaded hypospray from her bag. With a short hiss, the medication shot through her skin, into the carotid artery, pumped straight to her brain. After a few more beats of her heart, the medication now distributed throughout her bloodstream, a sufficient amount had now crossed the blood-brain barrier, and the convulsions slowed to a stop.

The boy who had brought her there hugged the woman next to him.

T'Ven continued to scan the girl as silence hung in the room. Shadows danced on the cave walls. She had no idea what this group's medical knowledge consisted of. At least they had enough to call for a healer. The only technology she saw was rather primitive artificial lighting.

She retrieved a PADD from her medkit, pressed a button on the tricorder, and its readings displayed on the PADD. She closed the tricorder, slipped it back into the bag, and slowly stood up. She had bad news, and did not know how this emotional group would take it.

Expectant eyes watched her.

Without prelude, she simply said, "She has a brain tumor."

A few of them gasped in surprise, one began to cry softly.

"According to my scans, she may have a good chance of recovery if she receives prompt medical attention."

"But you cannot do it here," the man who had come to the hospital said.

He was correct. "She needs surgery."

He nodded. "We are not welcome in the city," he said, a tinge of anger rising in his voice.

"I can bring her back to the hospital with me. You are welcome to come, as family of my patient."

"Take her. We will remain here," he said darkly.

After replacing all items in her medkit, T'Ven motioned for them to follow her to her aircar. She was unsure how they would safely get the still-unconscious girl down the incline and safely to the valley below. The back of her aircar held an anti-grav stretcher but the climb down and back up could take too long if her patient's condition deteriorated.

The boy led the way out instead, offering help on the way down. Behind them, one of the other adults easily lifted the child and began to follow. They descended easily down the slope of the mountain, the boy expertly guiding T'Ven, the brief contact between their hands in the process somewhat unnerving.

At the bottom, the child was handed over to T'Ven. Without warning, the boy touched her on the elbow, powerfully conveying a "thank you."

At her aircar, T'Ven opened the back hatch, specially designed with a anti-grav stretcher inside for one patient. She gently laid the girl inside, activated the monitors, and reclosed the hatch. Opening her own door, she tossed the medkit bag onto the other seat. It did not make the usual sound as it hit the seat.

"May I join you?"

T'Ven jumped back several inches, completely failing to suppress her startle reaction. "Who are you?" she demanded. This was certainly not one of the camp's inhabitants. She hadn't even been aware of his presence, his mind was so shielded.

"My name is Xokar."

"Why are you in my aircar?"

"Ah," he said slowly. "That is difficult to explain."

She was irritated, a probably side-effect of being around the girl's people. She needed to get back to de’Khriv quickly, to get the girl to the hospital.

She powered up the aircar. "Speak quickly."

"I am investigating the G'teth," he said, not a hint of emotion in his voice. She wondered if he heard hers.

"You are investigating berries?"

"These people, this clan your girl here belongs to, call themselves by that name."

"There are no g'teth bushes in the area."

"Curious."

"This does not answer my question. Why are you in my aircar?"

"Because mine is still in the valley we left."

"I am not taking you back there. This girl's life is in danger!"

He sat back in his seat slightly, acting surprised at her emotional outburst, if it could be called that.

They drove on in silence for another six minutes, when a guttural cry escaped from the girl in the back, her monitor sounding its alarm. T'Ven brought the aircar to a sudden stop, throwing her medkit bag to the floor and knocking Xokar's forehead against the car's frame. The inertial dampeners hadn't kicked in.

"Hand me the medkit!"

Xokar grabbed the bag from by his feet. T'Ven pulled out a hypospray and leaned over the seats to administer it to her now seizing patient. Nothing happened.

"I need you to pilot us to the hospital," she said. "I must attend to my patient." She got out of the aircar and climbed into the back hatch with the girl.

"What hospital?"

"In de'Khriv," she said. There was only one hospital there. "Quickly! She's not doing well."

* * *

"I believe some sort of apology may be in order."

The man who called himself Xokar stood by the door of T'Ven's aircar. She replied with a raised eyebrow.

"How is your patient?"

"Do not ask about my patient. Why are you here?"

"To apologize."

Another raised eyebrow.

"I never fully explained how I came to be in your aircar last night."

Her irritation from the previous night was now fully under control. "You did not offer even an incomplete explanation."

"I am prepared to offer it now."

"Now?"

"No. Not in so public a place."

"Hmm."

He stepped away from the aircar's door, so she could enter.

"I presume you are awaiting an invitation to join me?"

"You would presume correctly."

She nodded and motioned for him to get in.

* * *

"What do you know about the G'teth?"

"I believe you offered an explanation for your actions last night. I will not answer your questions until you first answer mine."

"As I said last night, I am investigating the G'teth."

"Investigating?"

"Yes. Conducting a systematic and formal inquiry, to discover and examine facts, to establish the truth."

"An official investigation then," she said. "Not for research, for study."

"You are correct."

"Again, why were you in my aircar?"

"To determine your identity and the purpose behind your contact."

"I was contacted first. One of their men came to the hospital to seek my assistance."

"Yes, I am aware of that now."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Xokar."

"On whose behalf are you conducting this investigation?"

"I am with the V'Shar."

* * *

This man who called himself Xokar was aesthetically pleasing, T'Ven decided. His mind also was well disciplined, strongly guarded. He seemed intent on causing her frustration, however. She did not allow that reaction, but nonetheless he kept trying. Perhaps he was testing her. It was curious, and she wondered what his motivations were. As a healer, she had learned to interpret subtle changes in posture, tone of voice, pupillary dilation, and so forth. This man proved exceptionally difficult to read.

Despite all this, she didn't distrust him.

So after retrieving his aircar from near the valley they had met, she had extended an invitation to her home, as a courtesy.

He had accepted.

She had offered water, and access to her replicator, as one would offer to a guest.

The apartment was small, designed and furnished for only one person. She offered a seat to him, prepared to either remain standing or take a seat on the floor. Instead, he offered the space next to himself, though it meant constant physical contact. She accepted.

They ate in relative silence. T'Ven took notice of his dark brown curls, indicating inheritance of a recessive gene. Xokar watched her with interest, but said nothing. She only spoke enough to offer more water.

After they both finished, T'Ven took his plate and hers, and stood to return them to be recycled.

Instead, Xokar grabbed her hand. Instinctively, she stiffened. There was little mental contact. She could feel only the presence of his mind, nothing more.

Unexpectedly, she did not want to pull her hand away.

She then sensed a quick flash of embarrassment from their contact, and he let her go. She took their plates away, and he rose from the seat.

"I should leave now," he said evenly, heading for the door.

"Wait."

She crossed the room in a few strides, and came to his side. He looked at her intently. She didn't know what to say, but somehow she did know what they both were thinking.

Tentatively, she reached for his hand, two fingers extended. He met her touch in the same way, but did not open his mind to her. Silently, she wondered if he were telepathically mute.

As if in response, he put one arm around her waist and pulled her closer. As their lips met, his other hand brushed the meld points on her face.

"I am not," he said clearly, in her mind.

She suppressed a gasp, completely unaware he had heard her thoughts. Had she unknowingly intruded upon his mind?

He shook his head, but broke contact. His free hand now traced the tip of her ear.

T'Ven ran her fingers through the curls on his head, methodically unclasping the front of his robe with her other hand.

Slowly, they pulled each other towards the bedroom.

* * *

**Eight days later**

T'Ven locked the door behind her, though it was her private office, and no one would intrude without permission.

She passed the tricorder over her lower abdomen.

Her suspicions were true.

She was pregnant.


	3. Orientation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dunno, there's not much to this chapter. Whatever. Enjoy anyway.  
> The Cirtriru are my own creation, their planet appears often in PUTP.

"The Interspecies Medical Exchange program has existed for 257 years. It was started by the Vulcan High Command before the founding of the Federation, bringing doctors from worlds around the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, allowing them to better their understanding of xenobiology."

Two doctors, one Cirtriru and one Human, stood in the staff entrance to what the Human called an "ER." They were both thankful that environmental systems kept the entire hospital much cooler than the mid-afternoon heat outside.

"I am Healer T'Ven. I am new to the IME. I will be assisting you during your time here on Vulcan."

She looked down at her PADD and read it's contents.

"Dr. Paul Avison, emergentologist."

The human made a short laughing sound. "We don't really call it that. I'm an 'emergency room physician,' if you want."

T'Ven nodded, and addressed the other. "Dr. Elbat Naf-Edalb, a 'child-doctor.'"

"Pediatrician," the human said, not in correction but in attempted comprehension.

"Have you both received Tri-ox shots?"

"No," the Cirtriru said.

"Follow me." As they entered the patient trauma receiving area, she pointed towards the sign to their right. "Keep clear of the transporter pad," she read. "Do either of you read Vulcan?"

"Only a few words," the Human said.

"This may make things more difficult for you." T'Ven led them around to the equipment storage area, and handed each a hypospray filled with tri-ox compound. "Adjust the dosage for yourself," she said.

"You said you are a healer. Is that different from a doctor?"

"Yes. Healers undergo many years of advanced mental training, doctors only receive academic training."

Dr. Avison nodded slowly. "So you can heal with your mind."

"In cases where such is possible, yes."

"Wow."

"Do you have a specialty?"

"No. Healers treat a great variety of patients, including animals."

She motioned to the wall beside them, containing a replicator terminal. "While you acclimate to the local conditions, I suggest you keep well hydrated." She hit a few buttons on the display. "Since neither of you know Vulcan, these -" she handed each a thumb-sized card, "will give you access to the replicator." She demonstrated, sliding one of the cards through a slot, and glass of water shimmered into existence.

"Do all Vulcans have the abilities you do?" Dr. Elbat asked. "That is, with training?"

"No," she replied. "There is a range of telepathic ability, as in any species."

"There are telepathic Cirtridra, but they are a small minority." He paused for a moment. "I have heard that healers are ... revered in Vulcan society. Is this true?"

"Revere? No. We do not value or 'revere' certain individuals over others based on profession or mental abilities. Adepts and masters are highly respected, but I believe 'revering' implies an emotional reaction."

"Hmm. Are healers considered adepts or masters?"

"Not precisely. Most healers do not live in the monasteries or temples. However," she paused, "like them, we have the ... right ... to touch a mind, without preface, without ... permission."

"Hmm," he said again, pressing on in conversation despite her hesitation. "Do you do that?"

"Only in cases where a patient is incapacitated, unable to communicate. To do so otherwise would be ... wrong."

"Our telepaths are revered - respected - but also feared."

"Do you fear me?"

"No. I'm simply considering the cultural differences that exist between us. Have I been too forward?"

"I do not believe so. I have been tasked with introducing you to our culture. Do you have any further questions?"

"Not at this time."

"Then I will bring you to meet my students, with whom you will be working closely."

* * *

T'Ven found her students in the surgical suite, observing a surgery they had found particularly intriguing.

They were separated from the patient and surgical team by a force field, so T'Ven approached them to introduce her IME colleagues.

"These are my students, Healer T'Ak'hel, and Doctors T'Pani, Tonak, and Seket." She motioned to each of them in turn. "Dr. Paul Avison and Dr. Elbat Naf-Edalb, here with the Interspecies Medical Exchange. May they join you?"

Tonak, always the one to speak for the group, answered. "Of course, Ohakausu."

* * *

T'Ven entered the room carrying a stack of large PADDs in one arm, holding a bowl of food in the other.

"I have been told humans eat three meals per day." She slid the bowl across the table until it rested in front of him. "I thought you might require sustenance."

"Thanks."

She set the stack of PADDs down and took the seat across from him.

"What do you have there?"

"Patient charts."

Before she could elaborate, Dr. Elbat entered the room, taking the third seat at the table for himself.

He groaned and slouched in his seat. "How long does it take to get acclimated to this place?"

Dr. Avison shrugged. "It's the gravity," he said by way of explanation. "So how long does it take?"

"I would not know," T'Ven said. "This is my home."

The human made his short laugh again. "I know that! How about somewhere else? I mean, how long did it take you to get used to staying on another planet?"

"I have never been off-planet."

He stared at her with a surprised look on his face.

"As I said at our introduction, I am new to the Interspecies Medical Exchange."

"Wow, I guess so."

"What's the farthest you have been from your home?" the Cirtriru asked.

"Approximately 160.9 kilometers."

"That's all? That's less than two hours by aircar. What prompted you to get into the IME, then?"

"It is my wish to further develop my understanding of xenobiology."

"That's it?"

"Should there be more?"

"Yeah ... how did you hear about the IME? What got you interested in it?"

"It is a Vulcan program. It was not difficult to learn of its existence. And it is of my belief that all medical professionals should consistently work to further their knowledge."

"I was under the impression that everyone's first year with the IME was spent off-world. How did you get ... stuck here?"

"Your impression is flawed. After my application was approved, I requested to remain here on Vulcan."

"Why? Aren't most of your patients here Vulcan?"

"They are. I requested to remain here until my daughter is old enough to handle an extended period of time on another planet."

"A daughter? How old?"

"One year, nine months, three days."

"I didn't think of you as the ... family type."

"We highly value family. They are integral to many of our traditions."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the sudden abrupt end to this chapter. I don't know why 2012 me thought this was a good way to end a chapter.


	4. Disillusionment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Though there's nothing in the content of the chapter that directly relates, still this chapter is dedicated to Fameanon, for her inspiration.
> 
> I realized it may not be entirely clear, this chapter jumps back a bit in time from the previous.
> 
> I use the word "vre'kasht" often. Since ENT, the preferred term that everyone uses for Vulcans who reject logic, is "V'tosh katur." I just don't particularly like the term, so I don't use it.

T'Ven returned to the desert five months into her pregnancy.

Since her first encounter with that vre'kasht - though she would never call any of them that to their faces - she had gained their trust.

While the girl with the brain tumor recovered in the hospital, T'Ven ran some scans. She discovered several troubling genetic markers - ones that suggested the possibility of widespread genetic diseases among her people.

The G'teth, that was what they called themselves, though with no explanation.

The girl returned home, once again healthy. But T'Ven was disconcerted that they had waited so long to seek medical treatment. She had been not far from terminal complications.

At five months pregnant, all of her colleagues knew of her pregnancy, as she was already beginning to show. They respected her privacy enough not to question the circumstances.

When she requested an extended period of leave, however, those who had declined to question before began to wonder. It was common to take leave when one was nearing one's ... Time ... but they assumed that had already passed. The baby was not due for at least another six months, though she was requesting a full year. If she had any serious medical problems with the pregnancy, they would have known.

The day after she put in her request, an official letter from the Ministry of Health arrived at the hospital, stating that T'Ven had been awarded a research grant to study genetic diseases in populations with less access to medical care.

Though she hadn't informed them beforehand of her intent to do such a project, it was not against the conditions of her employment to do it in the order she had.

Several of her colleagues reminded her of the dangers she would face in the desert, reminding her she was pregnant, reminding her of the reckless illogic of those she would be treating. She replied to each that she had planned this well, and had already thought of these things.

In private, they each speculated that one of these vre'kasht, perhaps even the one who had come to the hospital, had mated with her, and she was returning to him now. A few even suspected she would make her permanent home among them, renouncing Surak's teachings, and was just using the research grant as a socially acceptable cover for her departure.

The truth was, she had seen things when she returned their child to them, and she knew they would never seek out medical help. She had to bring it to them. They trusted her. In fact, in their own way, they had asked for her help. She was sure what she had seen had been meant to be seen.

She had approached Dr. Sorvik, the first one who she'd told about the pregnancy, asking if he would be willing to treat these vre'kasht on their own territory. His response was quick, and forceful. He would not. Though left unspoken, he seemed to believe that if they chose to live as animals, they should be treated as such.

But healers treated animals and sentient beings alike. T'Ven had chosen to adhere to a code of ethics that did not allow for a refusal of treatment based on the patient's philosophical beliefs or way of life.

It became clear to her that she would not be able to adequately see to their medical needs while still working in the hospital daily. So she chose to go the one route that would allow her to do what she needed. She applied for a research grant.

It was a bit of an unorthodox move, sure, but it had worked. Only days after the letter had arrived, T'Ven was loading medical equipment into her aircar and leaving for the caves.

The first few days among them were difficult. It was not just their unchecked passions and their overt emotional displays. They had naturally strong minds, but left them unshielded. From every touch, whether at the psi points or not, powerful emotions flooded the connection. It was nearly enough to push T'Ven to leave. She could hardly examine patients when she was constantly being assaulted with a barrage of emotions. Even the Romulans had some small modicum of control that these vre'kasht did not.

But she stayed, and they treated her as an honored guest.

* * *

Sorvik had been counting days since he had seen T'Ven last. He was well aware that this protective instinct was misplaced, and his desire to see to her well-being was entirely illogical. But if she had trusted him enough to confide in him before, he figured some level of concern for her was acceptable. She was with child, though not his, so as a physician he should not dismiss her outright.

Her apartment was just across a large open courtyard from the hospital. For the first two months after she left, he had watched for her aircar to return, though it would not be to return to the hospital. Surely, she would return for something. Clothing, to accommodate her growing form. More medical equipment. Perhaps she needed to contact someone. But she did not return.

He chided himself for allowing himself this level of involvement. It was bordering on improper, if he was not going to pursue her as a bondmate, then this was becoming a serious breach of her privacy. Yet, a part of him kept repeating, she had confided in him that she had never bonded with the man who fathered her child.

She had requested a full year's leave, but, he knew she did not plan to go off-planet. In fact, she had told him her destination, even though he had expressed his disagreement with her plans. So she was not far, only about an hour's journey by aircar. East of the Caves of Kulvir, in the Arlanga mountains across the Forge. He had a few days reprieve from work, and so packed supplies and set out to find her. Almost directly north of de'Khriv, she had said. 

After nearly two hours of searching for her location, without success, Sorvik began to doubt his plan anew. It was nearing nightfall, and though he did have his aircar he did not want to spend the night here in the Forge.

But soon, circumstances took a turn in his favor, when a group of four boys, all perhaps young adolescents, emerged from a relatively hidden outcropping on the side of one mountain. They carried weapons, no doubt to hunt for food. Like animals, he thought with no small measure of disgust. Nevertheless, they might be able to help him locate T'Ven.

He pulled up next to them, and they regarded him with open confusion and mistrust.

"I am looking for Hakausu T'Ven," he said.

The boys exchanged wary glances. The shortest and, presumably, youngest one spoke up. "We don't know where she is."

In response, the tallest smacked him hard on the back of his head.

He pulled his fist back to strike him back, but the other two boys restrained him.

"She is in the caves," the tallest said, pointing to to the place from where they had came.

Sorvik quickly sped away from the boys, finding their display quite distasteful. They were old enough to control their violent impulses, if they cared to try.

Reaching the caves necessitated a brief climb up a steep incline in the rock face. Sorvik debated whether to bring along his bag, which included a minimal medkit, but ultimately decided against it.

He reached the entrance to the caves easily and quickly, but wondered how T'Ven, pregnant, could handle that incline.

The interior was illuminated with a combination of primitive electrical lighting and large flaming torches.

He heard muffled footfalls, then with a sudden swish through the air, found the curved blade of a lirpa millimeters from his chin.

A female held the long weapon, her stance and her face challenging him to make one wrong move.

He willed his heart rate down, and turned his arms out from his sides, showing he was unarmed.

Her stance did not change in the slightest. "What do you want?"

"I am here to see Hakausu T'Ven."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Who are you?"

Sorvik noticed she wore gloves, and it seemed strange to him. He allowed himself to survey her appearance before answering the question. She was dressed in several layers of reddish clothing the color of the sands outside. No identifying marks he could see. Long brown hair that was unsurprisingly not styled like so many  _logical_ women preferred. "I am Hassu Sorvik," he said finally. "I am a colleague of T'Ven's."

Her brow creased, but she retracted the blade slightly and motioned with her head for him to walk further into the caves. The lirpa followed his head, until she suddenly reached out and grabbed hold of his arm, pulling him along with a strong grip. The reason for the gloves seemed much clearer now - they protected from unwanted direct contact.

She led him quickly through to a small, well-lit natural room in the cave wall. Another young boy sat lazily on the ground outside.

As they moved closer, the full room came into view. There, on the hard stone floor, lay T'Ven, curled on her side, arms wrapped around her rounded abdomen. She did not look up at their approach. Sorvik struggled again to keep his heart rate under control. Was she unconscious? There was a low electrical hum in the air that suggested a force field.

The woman with the lirpa stopped him, pressing the flat length of the blade hard against his chest.

Sorvik suddenly regretted having waited so long to find T'Ven. He wondered if she had spent all of the last two months curled up in this little cell like this. That protective instinct asserted itself again in his mind, but he wisely did not try to move yet.

The blade slid away from his chest, and the woman tapped the blunt end of the lirpa against the ground twice. T'Ven stirred and looked up at her. Not unconscious, he thought with some relief.

"Do you know this man?" Her voice was low and husky.

T'Ven pushed herself up to a sitting position and stared at Sorvik. "Yes, I know him."

Curiously, the woman abruptly turned and walked away. The boy sitting on the ground stared after her, glanced at T'Ven and back at the woman, then quickly got up and followed her away.

"Are you well?" he asked, as he reached his hand towards the force field he could hear but not see, looking around for some sort of control panel that would release her.

"I am." She rocked back onto her heels and slowly rose to standing. "Why are you here?"

"To see to your well-being."

She reached a hand up to the inside of the stone wall, and the force field crackled and fell. A slight rush of cool air hit Sorvik's face.

"I am well. Slight fatigue from the pregnancy," she placed a hand on her abdomen for emphasis, "but that is not unexpected. How did you find me?"

"You spoke once of the location."

She considered this for a moment, then said, "I am a healer, Sorvik. I do not need you to see to my well-being. I am more than capable of seeing to it myself."

He glanced meaningfully around at the small room she stood in.

"I asked for this small room as a place to rest during the day. It was not in use."

"The force field?"

"Cool air." She pointed to a square device in one corner. "As you know, pregnancy raises the body temperature." She finally stepped out of the room, quickly locating the control panel on the outside, that Sorvik had not been able to find, and raised the force field again.

He leaned closer to her, lowering his voice. "It ... concerns me, you being among these vre'kasht."

Her eyes narrowed. "They call themselves G'teth."

He shook his head.

"I assume you are not here to assist me in my efforts?"

"I am not."

"They are sentient beings, regardless of their philosophy. They have asked me for help. They require medical attention. If they were Andorian, or Klingon, would you refuse to assist me?"

"They are not Andorian or Klingon."

"No, they are Vulcan, so you can refuse treatment?"

Sorvik stepped back slightly. "I have not refused treatment. As you just stated, they asked you for help. Not me."

"It does not matter. If you are not here to assist me, I request that you leave."

"Must I be escorted by an armed guard?"

Her eyes narrowed again. "I will accompany you out of the caves."

* * *

T'Ven returned to de'Khriv months later, heavily pregnant.

She returned briefly to the hospital, seeking another healer to help her through the birth of her child when the time came.

She saw Sorvik there. He still mentioned his disapproval of the G'teth, though he refused to call them such. Nothing had changed.

T'Ven was disappointed that Sorvik's attitude was so widespread. Had they not all professed adherence to the same values? They were healers, doctors, they did not get to pick and choose who they were willing to help.

Still on leave, she began to consider her options. She did not want to leave the hospital permanently. She did not want to leave de'Khriv and try to work at another hospital in another city, not with a newborn child to care for.

Through some research, she came to her decision. She would join the Interspecies Medical Exchange. Her application would take some time to go through, and by the time everything was in order, her daughter would be old enough to accompany her wherever she would end up.


End file.
